Word forms: comparative braver, superlative bravest, plural, 3rd person singular presenttense braves, present participle braving, past tense, past participle braved
1. adjective
Someone who is brave is willing to do things which are dangerous, and does not show fear in difficult or dangerous situations.
He was not brave enough to report the loss of the documents.
...those brave people who dared to challenge the Stalinist regimes.
Synonyms: courageous, daring, bold, heroic More Synonyms of brave
bravelyadverb [usually ADVERB with verb, oft ADVERB adjective]
Mr Kim bravely stood up to authority.
2. verb
If you brave unpleasant or dangerous conditions, you deliberately expose yourself to them, usually in order to achieve something.
[written]
Thousands have braved icy rain to demonstrate their support. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: confront, face, suffer, challenge More Synonyms of brave
3. countable noun
In the past, a brave is a young Native American man, especially one who is good at fighting.
[old-fashioned]
4.
See put on a brave face/put a brave face on
brave in British English
(breɪv)
adjective
1.
a.
having or displaying courage, resolution, or daring; not cowardly or timid
b.
(as collective noun preceded by the)
the brave
2.
fine; splendid
a brave sight
a brave attempt
3. archaic
excellent or admirable
noun
4. old-fashioned
a warrior of a Native American tribe
5. an obsolete word for bully1
verb(transitive)
6.
to dare or defy
to brave the odds
7.
to confront with resolution or courage
to brave the storm
8. obsolete
to make splendid, esp in dress
Derived forms
bravely (ˈbravely)
adverb
braveness (ˈbraveness)
noun
bravery (ˈbravery)
noun
Word origin
C15: from French, from Italian bravo courageous, wild, perhaps ultimately from Latin barbarusbarbarous
possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance
2.
making a fine appearance
3. archaic
excellent; fine; admirable
noun
4.
a brave person
5.
a warrior, esp. among Native American tribes
6. obsolete
a.
a bully
b.
a boast or challenge
transitive verb
7.
to meet or face courageously
to brave misfortunes
8.
to defy; challenge; dare
9. obsolete
to make splendid
intransitive verb
10. obsolete
to boast; brag
Derived forms
bravely
adverb
braveness
noun
Word origin
[1475–85; ‹ MF ‹ Sp bravo (˃It) ‹ VL *brabus for L barbarusbarbarous]
More idioms containing
brave
put a brave face on something
Quotations
None but the brave deserves the fairJohn DrydenAlexander's Feast
Fortune assists the boldVirgilAeneid
In other languages
brave
British English: brave /breɪv/ ADJECTIVE
Someone who is brave is willing to do dangerous things, and does not show fear in difficult or dangerous situations.
He became an extremely brave horseman.
American English: brave
Arabic: شُجاع
Brazilian Portuguese: valente
Chinese: 勇敢的
Croatian: hrabar
Czech: odvážný
Danish: tapper
Dutch: moedig
European Spanish: valiente
Finnish: urhea
French: courageux
German: tapfer
Greek: γενναίος
Italian: coraggioso
Japanese: 勇敢な
Korean: 용감한
Norwegian: modig
Polish: odważny
European Portuguese: valente
Romanian: brav
Russian: мужественный
Latin American Spanish: valiente
Swedish: modig
Thai: กล้าหาญ
Turkish: maceraperest
Ukrainian: сміливий
Vietnamese: can đảm
British English: brave VERB
If you brave unpleasant or dangerous conditions, you deliberately expose yourself to them, usually in order to achieve something.
Thousands have braved icy rain to demonstrate their support.
American English: brave
Brazilian Portuguese: desafiar
Chinese: 勇于置身恶劣或危险的环境
European Spanish: desafiar
French: braver
German: trotzen
Italian: sfidare
Japanese: 立ち向かう
Korean: 위험 따위를 무릅쓰다
European Portuguese: desafiar
Latin American Spanish: desafiar
All related terms of 'brave'
brave soldier
A soldier is a person who works in an army , especially a person who is not an officer.
brave troops
Troops are soldiers, especially when they are in a large organized group doing a particular task .
brave the rain
Rain is water that falls from the clouds in small drops .
brave new world
If someone refers to a brave new world , they are talking about a situation or system that has recently been created and that people think will be successful and fair .
put a brave face on something
to try not to let anyone see how upset or disappointed you are with a difficult situation
put on a brave face/put a brave face on
If someone is putting on a brave face or is putting a brave face on a difficult situation, they are pretending that they are happy or satisfied when they are not.
put a brave face on sth/put on a brave face
If you put a brave face on a bad situation or put on a brave face , you try not to show how disappointed or upset you are about the situation. In American English you can also say put on a good face .